Welcome back home!

There is so much to share.

This blog has been down for  a while.

Here is the story for those of you who are new to elevenmorning, for the rest of you ( you know who you are)  it 's a long over due update.

I have been making art for a long time, since dinosaurs laid eggs.  In 2007 my daughter Stevie passed away.  She was 19 and the love of my life, still my most favorite person in the world.  I was in a very raw place and there were two things that helped me through that loss, one was the love of my son Noah who cuddled up next to me and made me remember that love is never lost, it just changes into something bigger, the other saving grace was art, the creative process.  For me the ability to create was not lost (even though I thought it was) instead it was changed into something I didn't expect.

After my daughter died I wrote and illustrated a children's book called Pink Sky, it was cathartic and soon  Bella (Stevie) and I started an adventure.  I began making small dolls and figurines that captured her childhood, her drawings, memories.  I began selling them accidentally it was exciting knowing that tiny bits of her where finding people everywhere.  Before I knew it I was turning my little Etsy shop into a retail store in town called Tangerine, something Stevie and I always dreamed of doing.

I did not have a background in retail, I was flying by the seat of my pants.  It was awesome, I created this little world my daughter would have loved, and for five years I got to live in it everyday.  My intention was to simply create a space that would bring happiness to other people and I believe I did that.

In 2012 I gave birth to my son Elliott.

I can't describe what a life changing event that was, how much love and healing this little guy has gifted us with.  He was a miracle from the very start and every day he just makes the world a better place.  I didn't want to miss a second of his life, so I quietly closed the store to Tangerine and told Stevie, "Lets go home".

It was bittersweet but the end of a chapter is always like that, deep breath then new chapter.

I put a fresh coat of pea green paint on my home studio, moved the things I loved most back in and when Elliott turned one I began making again.  This time I made things for myself, things I didn't have time to create while I was running a retail store.  I made a beautiful wool blanket, scribbled in sketch books, rediscovered my paintbrushes and markers, found a box of clay and one day started making little dolls again.

It isn't easy squeezing art into a day when you have a toddler and a teenager but there is always a quiet couple minutes to sketch or sculpt.

I love blogging so I have decided to dust off this old blog and breath a little life into it.  My plan is give you a look at what is happening in my studio, share some ideas and techniques, throw in blogs about babies, gardens, cooking and life in general.

It has been a long time but it is good to be home.